Champions
by JPR

Comment by dsidwell:
Nice work, Jason! I think it should be higher in placement, but oh well. keep up the good work!

Champions
by JPR

Comment by grigrigirl:
:)....clever

Stanford University Memorial Church
by JPR

Comment by MrAkamai:
Nice symmetry!

Stanford University Memorial Church
by JPR

Comment by xhoss:
great composition.

Champions
by JPR

Comment by sjonni:
hehe...very cool idea!

Champions
by JPR

Comment by dsidwell:
Hey, I wear those same socks! Well, not THOSE socks specifically of course, but I buy this KIND of sock! so 10 points for you! Just kidding. Nice shot, nice lighting, neg space implies more body, but darkness adds mystery. Super work, but only 9. After looking at all my nines, I\'m changing this to a 10. Congratulations!--Wait. After looking at the other 10s, I decided to put this back to a 9. Wait again. It really does belong in the 10s. Sorry for all of my waffling. 10

Champions
by JPR

Comment by muckpond:
well done!

Birthplace of Silicon Valley
by JPR

Comment by ursula:
Really? This is it? Good idea!

Evil Plotting
by JPR

Comment by ursula:
FROM THE CRITIQUE CLUB

Hi, Jason,

I'm a bit worried about doing a critique on this photo, as you seem to have been quite frustrated with the voting results. And I think that you are right, the score is low for the quality of the picture. BTW - I wasn't around that week, so I didn't vote :)))

I think that your commenters that didn't see how the picture fit in the challenge might have a bit of a point, in particular if you think the fit has to be "in your face", but I think that you knew that would happen when you entered the picture. I also think though that it would have been easy to imagine a caged bird trying to escape, and that it's worth remembering that pictures don't have to be "in your face" to meet a challenge, that oftentimes pictures that make you think, dream, imagine, are the ones you'll remember. So, I guess I'm being slightly critical of the lack of imagination of the voters.

As far as the picture itself:

Composition: IMO the composition is great. I like the bigger top (or, the crop you chose). I like the grey/white background, I think it works really well here, as do the shadows. The "pose" of the bird is fantastic! To me, besides plotting to escape, he looks like he's trying to hide his thoughts from the viewer. The simple black frame is very good.

Focus/Sharpness: Looks fine to me. I love the slightly OOF feathers to the front.

Light/Colour: Overall quite good, in particular in the front and background. The subtle brown of the feathers is beautiful, as are the greys in the shadows. The black/white/reds of the main focal plane are also beautiful, but they look a tad like they got a bit too much light (did you use flash for this picture?) and lost a bit of detail. I wish the eye were "shinier" or a bit more detailed.

Overall: IMO this is a good picture, interesting to look at, it tells a story, makes you imagine a situation. Taking into account the nature of the voters on DPC, it probably wasn't the best choice for the challenge. But don't worry, scores are just scores, but you do excellent, imaginative work!

Take care,

Ursula (uabresch)
Complaints, questions ... email me.

EDIT (Addition)

2 things I forgot to say,
(1) the title is great!
(2) this picture looks a lot better big than as a thumbnail.

Message edited by author 2003-08-23 12:44:49.

Birthplace of Silicon Valley
by JPR

Comment by HBunch:
I supose anything that's not the present is in fact "the past" but this doesn't appear to me as being very much in the past. I mean, I can see the plaque which I assume says something about being a historical monument of some sort, but the building its self doesn't look very old at all. What ever that is on the steps is distracting, as my eyes are drawn to it's brightness and I sit here trying to figure out what the heck would be sitting on the steps like this. Your focus and clarity are good, and for the most part lighting is alright as well. Some shadows, but none bad on the building itself. The angle is odd, like you are looking at it from the side, but not enough to be dramatic. Kind of looks like you were only a step or 2 off from being in front of it. Also, the darkness on the left of the photo doesn't add anything to me. I think that it's not really important and could be cropped out without losing anything from your image. Overall, I think it's good though. ~Heather~